Chair construction



June 25; 1929. J. D. BELL CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Fil ed Oct. 17, 1927 INVENTOR Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH D. BELL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CHAIR CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed October 17, 1927. Serial No. 226,618.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs, settees and like seating devices, more particularly of the over-stuffed type, the primary object being to provide an improved cushioning spring arrangement which will make the chair more comfortable without sacrificing strength and durability.

It is the present practice in the making of chairs and the like to stretch across the frame of the seat a plurality of strips of webbing which constitute the support for the lower ends of the cushioning springs attached to the webbing and on i the upper ends of which springs, the seat cushion is placed. In applying thesestrips they are stretched tightly then nailed to the wooden frame and form a comparatively rigid support for the springs so that when a heavy person sits upon the seat, the springs will ofttimes compress to the point of destroying the resiliency of the seat. Another disadvantage attending the employment of tightly stretched web strips for supporting the springs is that heavy strains are imposed upon the joints of the frame and inasmuch as many of these joints are cemented, the tendency is to weaken or loosen the oints. Summine up the disadvantages of this type of spring mounting they are, first, that the seat will not prove comfortable to heavy persons, and will not be as soft as is desirable commensurate with strength; and second, that the tightly stretched webbing strips will tend to loosen the joints of the chair and require a great deal of time and effort on the part of the chair builder in properly mounting the strips of the chair. The arrangement of my invention takes into consideration the employment of a sheet of flexible material which is more or less loosely secured to the seat frame and capable of being freely flexed upward and downward yet effectively support cushioning springs for the seat cushion. In combination with this sheet of flexible material are flexible webbing strips which are hung beneath the chair frame and support auxiliary cushioning springs, which springs are interposed between the sheet of flexible material and said strips. This arrangement provides for a softer cushioning action and permits of comfortable seating of heavy persons without taxing the springs to the utmost or imposing damaging strains on the chair. The arrangement of my invention gives approximately twice the spring depth at the point of the seat where it is most needed to properly support the occupant of the chair, and a softer seat is provided without sacrificing strength and durability.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide the spring cushioning means for the back of the chair which will permit of relative yielding of portions of the back and thereby cause the back to better conform to the curvature of the back of the occupant of the chair.

With the above mentioned and other obnovel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to with out departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a cross sectional view of a chair constructed in accordance with the present invention. j j

Fig. 2 represents a cross sectional view taken on the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1 but showing the seat in elevation.

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary rear elevation of the chair particularly showing the cushioning means for the back of the chair.

My invention as shown in the accompanying drawing is applied to a chair butit is to be understood that it may be carried out in connection with other seating devices such as settees, sofas, Chesterfields, etc. In the embodiment of the invention shown inthe accompanying drawing, the chair comprises. a horizontal rectangular seat frame 1, supported by front and rear legs 2 and 3 in the usual manner and from which frame the usual back frame 4 extends upward and rearward. Extending forwardly and horizontally from the frame 4 are the arms 5.

The frame 1 carries a horizontal spring supporting board 6 adjacent its forward edge and asimilar board 7 adjacent its rear edge leaving an open space between the boards approximately centrally of the frame. Extending over this space is a sheet 8 of flexible material such as canvas, leather, or the like, which sheet is secured by fastenings 9 to the boards 6 and 7 on the upper side of the latter. Strips 10 and 11 formed of suitable cloth webbing and intersecting one another centrally of their ends are secured at their jects in view, the invention consists in the of said'elements. The auxiliary cushioning 9 of their resiliency" when heavy persons are seated in-the chair and the strain on the springs are slightly compressed normally and cause the flexible seat 8 to be bowed upwardly as shown in Fig. 1. Any means, well known in the art, may be employed for fastoning these springs together and in place.

- Inthe present instance there are employed two transverse rows of'spiral cushioning springs 14 supported on the board 6 and two similar rows of springs 15 fastened at their ,lower ends to and supported by the flexible sheet 8.. These springs have a flexiblecovering 16 extendingover the upper ends thereof and fastened tothe chair frame, the upper ends of the springs being connected with a -common wire frame 17-as is customary in the art; Mounted on the cover 16 and supported by the springs is the customary seat cushion q 18. The portion of this seat from the transverse .medial line. to the rear edge, or in other words the rear portion of the seat, is

supported by the transverse rows of springs 15 ,which are in turn supported by the flexible sheet 8. When a person sits upon the cushion I -.18,--the springs 15 and 13 are com ressed. Be-

' fore the flexible sheet8 flexed ownward to the limit of itsdownward movement, .the springs13 will be substantially compressed ,and therefore the weight-on the rear part of the. cushioning seat 18 is carried by the springs 15, thethen downwardly bowed flexible sheet 8, and by the spring'13', and hangingstrips and 11. In this way the weight isdistributed throughout these elements so that no severe strains are placed upon any one springs 13 are preferably disposed between the rows of springs and by this arrangement not'onlyare there provided superposed rows of springs but said springs are arranged to serve; as a "support for substantially the entire; area of the rear half of the seat cushion and just double the spring action is given 1 I to this part of the seat cushion. The rear part of the seat cushiontherefore is provided with a greater cushioning'support which will permitthe said portion to sink lower than the forward portion while effectively supported I however, by the double deck spring arrangemen t. These springs are not taxed to the limit springs and supporting element-s therefor, is

sodistributed as to avoid damage to the springs andthe supports therefor. By permitting the rear part of the seat cushion to sink lower than the forward part, the scat takes a shape which better conforms to the shape of the occupant. It will be seen that the spring arrangement of this invent ion does not impose any strains on the spring supporting means and chair when the chair is unoccnpied.

The special back construction of my invention takes into consideration a spring contained back cushion 19 of the usual construc tion employed in ovorstufl'cd chairs, which member is fastened at its lower end as at 20 to a board 21 mounted on the upper side of the seat frame 1 at the rear of the latter, and fastened at its upper end as at 22 to the back frame 4. Springs 23 in a horizontal row are mounted at rear ends of a cross bar 24 of the frame 4 and at their forward ends are disposed behind the cushion 19 at a point substantially midway of the upper and lower ends of said cushion. L-sha d resilient rods 25 have terminals slidable 1n openings of a cross bar 26 of the frame 4 and curve upward and rearward behind and in engagement with the cushion, the upper ends being pivoted in blocks 26 on the sides of the frame 4. Certain of the springs 23 are fastened to the rods 25 and urge them outward a ainst the cushion. An inverted U-shaped to 27 bears against the rear side and at the upper end of the cushion said rod having its terminals pivoted in the blocks 26'. Springs 29 urge the rod 27 against the cushion. Another row of springs 28 is provided between the springs 23 and 29. The rods 25 and 27 constitute frames which are relatively yieldable and permit of relative yielding of different portions of the back of the chair. This permits the back cushion to better conform to the shape of the back of the occupant of the chair and make the chair more comfortable.

I claim:

1. A seat for chairs and the like comprising a frame, a plurality of seat sup orting springs mounted on the frame, a s eet of flexible material mounted on the frame and capable of being flexed upwardly and downwardly, seat supporting springs mounted on said sheet, a support for springs attached to and depending from the under side of the frame and a spring carried by said support and engaging at its upper end the under side of said flexible sheet.

2. A seat for a chair and the like comprising a frame, a rigid spring support across the front edge of the chair, a flexible support fastened to the rigid support and to the frame and arranged to be moved upwardly and downwardly, an upright compression spring supported by said rigid support, a second set of compression springs supported on the flexible support, a flexible s ring support depending in substantially V- orm from said frame and a compression spring mount ed on the second named flexible support and engaging at its upper ends the under side of said first named flexible support.

3. A seat for chairs and the like comprising a seat frame, a sheet of flexible material carried by said frame and arranged to be flexed upwardly and downwardly, a plurality of seat supporting compression springs mounted on said flexible sheet, a flexible auxiliary spring support fastened at its ends to the frame and being bowed downward and auxiliary compression springs having their lower ends engaged with the support and their upper ends engaged with the under side of said sheet of flexible material, said last named springs normally holding the flexible sheet in upwardly bowed. position and the support in downwardly bowed position, a rigid spring support across the front edge of the chair having the front edge of the flexible sheet secured thereto, a set of compres- 'sion springs on said rigid support in front of said sheet supporting springs, to support the front edge of the seat.

4. A seat for chairs and the like comprising a frame, a rigid spring support across the front of the frame, a plurality of springs mounted on said support, a flexible spring support mounted on the frame and capable of being flexed upwardly and downwardly, a plurality of springs mounted on the flexible support, a seat member supported by the first and second named springs, the fore part of said member by the first named springs and the rear part by the second named springs, a third spring support disposed beneath the second named spring support and a spring mounted on the last named support and engaging the under side of the flexible spring support.

JOSEPH D. BELL. 

